REGION
Saturday, July 24, 2021
East Oregonian
A3
Hermiston home manufacturer sued for alleged civil rights violations
State records show Marlette Homes
denied similar allegations earlier this
year, while admitting to racial slurs
appearing in company bathrooms
By EMILY CURETON
Oregon Public Broadcasting
HERMISTON — Two
former employees of a
Hermiston home manufac-
turing company claim they
endured years of anti-Black
racism, discrimination and,
in one woman’s case, sexual
harassment, only to be fired
after reporting the incidents
to managers, according to a
lawsuit filed in federal court
this week.
The complaint comes
from two Black women who
worked for Marlette Homes
between 2018 and 2020. The
company also does business
as Clayton Hermiston, and
is registered as CMH Manu-
facturing West, Inc., part of
billionaire Warren Buffett’s
Berkshire Hathaway, which
controls a manufactured
home empire, and has itself
faced criticism in 2015 for
allegedly exploiting people
of color through predatory
lending practices.
Twin sisters Lisa Williams
and Angela Pierce, both 55,
accuse the company’s Herm-
iston branch of a hostile work
environment, sexual harass-
ment, race-based discrimi-
nation, wrongful termination
and whistleblower retaliation.
“Ms. Williams and Ms.
Pierce heard and saw (the
n-word) used in their environ-
ment, saw swastika symbols
in the bathroom of Defendant,
and were subject to physical
assault and other dangers,”
according to the complaint.
“We have no comment at
this time,” Marlette Homes
Human Resources Manager
Erinn Gailey-Genack said
when reached by phone
Wednesday, July 21.
The Tennessee-based
corporate office for CMH
Manufacturing did not
respond to requests for
comment.
State records show the
company denied similar alle-
gations of illegal conduct
earlier this year, while admit-
ting to racial slurs appearing
in company bathrooms.
The lawsuit describes
times when Pierce and
Williams were the only Black
employees, “and this seemed
specifically targeted at them.”
Since 2017, the company has
reported hiring six employees
who self-identified as Black
or African American.
Last year, the sisters
sent complaints to Oregon’s
Bureau of Labor and Indus-
again. The document, also
provided by her attorney,
barred her from continuing
to discuss “this or any prior
incidents, curse, or other-
wise disrupt your team in
any way.”
“You will also not send any
more letters or complaints to
Home Office unless it (sic) a
new or different issue.”
Williams refused to sign
the formal reprimand. She
was fired 10 days later.
In its response to the
BOLI complaint, Clayton
Homes denied reprimand-
ing Williams for contacting
the corporate office. It asserts
she was terminated “for legit-
imate, non-discriminatory
reasons.”
Clayton Hermiston told
state investigators that Pierce
was fired for “hostility and
aggressive, insubordinate
behavior.” Pierce alleged she
was terminated for interven-
ing in a meeting to support
her sister in making discrim-
ination claims.
Last month, the state
labor agency suspended its
investigation without reach-
ing a determination because
the women withdrew the
complaints to pursue a federal
lawsuit.
Clayton Hermiston has
reported having about 190
employees. Nationwide,
Clayton Homes’ building
affiliates employ more than
12,000 people, according to
the company’s website.
East Oregonian, File
Two former employees of Marlette Homes, a Hermiston home manufacturing company, claim
they endured years of anti-Black racism, discrimination and, in one woman’s case, sexual ha-
rassment, only to be fired after reporting the incidents to managers, according to a lawsuit
filed in federal court this week.
tries. In its response, Clay-
ton Hermiston agreed Pierce
reported offensive language
written in the bathrooms to
management.
“Each time this has
occurred, (Clayton Herm-
iston) has fully investigated
the incident and took steps to
prevent future occurrences,
including by restricting
access to Sharpie markers,”
attorney Krishna Balasubra-
mani wrote to BOLI investi-
gators, adding the company
“has never been able to iden-
tify who wrote the offensive
racial slur on the wall or even
determine whether it was an
employee or a visitor that did
so.”
The sisters claim the
bathrooms were repeatedly
defaced with swastikas and
the n-word. At the time, Pierce
was a janitor who cleaned
these spaces. Williams
worked on finishing the
mobile homes and cleaning
them. The complaint alleges
Williams was subjected
to an excessive workload
and sexual harassment by a
coworker. The lawsuit names
individual supervisors for
allegedly aiding and abetting
the behavior.
According to attorney
Meredith Holley, Williams
wrote a letter in August
addressed to Warren Buffett
himself, asking for help.
“Due to my legitimate
complaints … I have been
retaliated against through
bogus and untrue disciplinary
write ups,” reads a copy of
the Aug. 8 letter provided by
Holley.
T h ree weeks later,
Williams was written up
County approves contact tracers, COVID-19 billboards
PENDLETON — The
Umatilla County Board of
Commissioners on Wednes-
day, July 21, approved
payments for COVID-19-re-
lated billboards and contact
tracers.
Joe Fiumara, the coun-
ty’s public health director,
requested the county extend
its contract and fund four
billboards that for months
have included COVID-
19 and vaccine messag-
ing. The commissioners
unanimously approved the
payment of $25,440 for
the billboards to stand for
another year.
In addition, the commis-
sioners approved the health
department’s request to
employ its seven contact
tracers permanently.
The contact t racers
have worked in the county
since May 2020. The health
department has enough
funding from the Oregon
Health Authority to finance
the posit ions th roug h
summer of 2022, Fiumara
said. The commissioner
approved the request unan-
imously.
The meeting then moved
on to local community
grants and payables. The
commissioners approved
$35,000 in federal stimu-
lus funds for a city park in
Adams and $75,000 for flood
control in Echo.
“These will help commu-
nities in most incredible
ways,” Commissioner Dan
Dorran said.
Commissioner George
Murdock noted residents and
infrastructure in Echo have
been in “desperate” need of
support after the 2020 flood-
ing event. Dorran said they
are more than desperate.
“There are proper ty
owners losing ground right
now without the engineer-
ing to support the permits,”
he said, adding the funding
will assist 61 ranchers and
131 land owners.
“This is critical to not just
one or two people,” Dorran
said.
And at the top of the meet-
ing, the Umatilla County
Public Health Department
received recognition for its
service during the COVID-
19 pandemic from the Pend-
leton Honor Task Force.
Susan Bower, president
of Eastern Oregon Business
Source and Umatilla County
commissioner candidate,
represented the organiza-
tion that on occasion has
called attention to honor
local individuals or groups.
The health department had
at least 16 personnel present
at the meeting.
Bower said the team at the
health department had done
an “absolutely outstanding
job” during the past year and
a half.
Murdock added his praise
to the department.
“I certainly will be happy
when COVID is in our rear-
view mirror,” he said. “But I
will say, if there’s one posi-
tive upside, it has been a new
spotlight on public health.
It’s been an afterthought by
the state of Oregon. Now, I
don’t think it will ever be
again.”
In all, Umatilla County
has reported 9,079 COVID-
19 cases since the pandemic
began — more than 11% of
its population — and the
second-highest case rate
among counties in Oregon,
according to the OHA. The
county continues to report
infection rates higher than
densely populated urban
areas of Western Oregon.
L e ss t ha n 40% of
Umatilla County residents
have been fully vacci-
nated against COVID-19.
The county’s vaccination
rate ranks sixth lowest in
Oregon, according to the
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
OTHER BUSINESS
During its Wednesday,
July 21, meeting, the
Umatilla County Board of
Commissioners approved
several other items, in-
cluding the following:
• An updated emergency
plan that Tom Roberts,
the county’s emergency
manager, presented.
• A maintenance request
for retiling the first-floor
bathroom in the Umatilla
County Courthouse.
• A maintenance payable
for the chiller in the Staf-
ford Hansell Government
Center.
• A payment for the coun-
ty’s dispatch software.
Irrigon gets a Washington, Oregon to discuss
new, safer path Columbia River policy July 28
By NICK
ROSENBERGER
East Oregonian
IRRIGON — Irrigon resi-
dents, parents and students
can expect a safer method
for arriving at school with the
construction of a new multi-
use pathway along the west
side of Division Street from
Highway 730 to Southeast
Wyoming Avenue. The city is
aiming to complete it before
the start of the school year.
According to the Irrigon
Public Works Department,
the Division Street project
will provide a “clear and safe
area for bicyclists and pedes-
trians, a needed safe zone
especially for children going
to and from school.”
Division Street previously
had no sidewalk or path for
pedestrians or students going
to school, with cars driving
past a couple of feet away.
“Kids would ride their
bikes down the middle of
Division,” said Aaron Palm-
quist, Irrigon’s city manager.
The street was a safety
issue and dangerous, said
Palmquist, noting a child had
been killed in a motorcycle
accident several years prior.
A path like the one under
construction has “been
needed for years,” he said.
Palmquist said he has
been working on imple-
menting some sort of path
since 2013, when he became
city manager, but it had been
a challenge to secure fund-
ing for the project. Finally,
in July 2015, the city made
an official application to
the Oregon Department of
Transportation for Statewide
Transportation Improvement
Program funding. The fund-
ing became available in the
2018-21 biennium and they
started construction this year.
Palmquist said the path
was about safety and a “very
strong community need and
desire.”
The 10-foot-wide multi-
use path, with a price tag of
about $1.2 million to $1.4
million, will allow walkers
and cyclists a safer opportu-
nity to travel between 730 to
Southeast Wyoming and tie
into their “safe school route.”
Along with the addition of
a flashing beacon on Division
Street and barriers that sepa-
rate the road from the path,
the city recently added 12
street lights that light up the
road and intersection. Previ-
ously, “It used to be dark all
the way,” Palmquist said.
Additionally, Palmquist
hinted at another project
going up to bid in Novem-
ber that will go from First
Street through 14th Street
and connect with the Divi-
sion Street pathway.
While it’s likely more than
30 students made the trek
during the school day without
the pathway, Palmquist said,
many parents were afraid to
have their children walk the
dangerous road. He said there
has been much excitement
from parents and kids for the
pathway and he expects the
number of pedestrians and
students walking to school
will increase.
“It’s exciting to finally
see it come to pass,” Palm-
quist said.
Steve Ringman/Seattle Times, File
Lower Monumental Dam on the Snake River.
The Centralia Chronicle
RICHLAND
—
Members of the Washing-
ton and Oregon fish and
wildlife commissions will
hold a virtual meeting next
week to discuss policy for
the shared waters of the
Columbia River.
Four members of the
Washington Fish and Wild-
life Commission and three
members of the Oregon Fish
and Wildlife Commission
will meet Wednesday, July
28, from 2-5:30 p.m.
Commission members
will discuss draft language
for shared conservation
goals and management
policies in the Columbia
River and receive updates
from staff with the Wash-
ington Department of Fish
and Wildlife and Oregon
Department of Fish and
Wildlife about the impacts
of different commercial and
recreational fishing gears,
as well as changes in fish-
ing pressure over the past
decade.
The meeting will be
held via Zoom webinar.
The public can tune in
IRRIGON MARINA PARK
ALL CONCERTS START AT 7:00PM
Monday, July 26th
CRUISE CONTROL
(Classic Rock)
Monday, August 9th • Cale Moon
(Country)
Funded by Morrow County Unified Recreation District
Sponsored by North Morrow Community Foundation
For information call: Donna @ 541-922-3197
to the meeting at zoom.
us/j/95834364815. Partici-
pants also can call in to the
meeting at 253-215-8782 or
888-475-4499, then enter
the webinar ID: 958-3436-
4815.
No d e c i s io n s a r e
expected at this meeting,
and no public comment will
be taken.
To view the full agenda
and for more information
about the Washington Fish
and Wildlife Commission,
visit wdfw.wa.gov/about/
commission.
For more information
about the Oregon Fish and
Wildlife Commission, visit
df w.state.or.us/agency/
commission/.
G OOD S HEPHERD C OMMUNITY H EALTH F OUNDATION
2021 FALL GRANTS
Good Shepherd Community Health Foundation
awards Fall Grants annually to qualified
organizations for the betterment of health needs
within our local service communities.
The deadline to submit a Fall Grant
application is July 31st, 2021.
Applications can be
made online at
gshealth.org/foundation/awards
or call the Foundation office at
541-667-3419
for further information.